1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to containers and more particularly to containers having structural reinforcements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plastic containers for storage and/or transportation purposes are well known in the art. For example, commercially available containers may be manufactured from thermoplastic materials such as polyolefins and polyesters. Common thermoplastic container materials include polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). While conventionally formed as reusable, non-transparent containers with relatively thick sidewalls, durable, recyclable, and disposable plastic containers with translucent and thinner sidewalls have been developed to reduce manufacturing costs and environmental impact.
When heavier items are stored in and/or transported by the container, the container may be under one or more type of stress or load, such as on the top lid, top rim, walls, and/or bottom of the container. In particular, when the load exceeds a threshold value, the container may collapse or buckle at certain area(s) of weakness, causing damage to the items and surrounding environment. In some cases, collapsed or buckled containers containing hazardous materials, such as hot fluid, caustic or toxic materials, and sharp objects, can lead to serious personal injury.
One way to address this issue is to incorporate structural features into the container to improve its anti-buckling strength and/or structural rigidity. In particular, it has been found that the structural rigidity of the container may be reinforced by providing a plurality of ribs formed on the walls thereof. In some cases, the ribs may be provided throughout the walls of the container. Alternatively, the ribs may be provided only on some portions of the walls, leaving other portions of the walls rib-less.
While providing anti-buckling ribs benefits some containers, other containers may have different zones of weakness that the ribs may be inadequate to reinforce. For example, during the thermoforming process of the container, some portions of the container walls may be thinner than other portions. Moreover, zones of weakness may also depend on the overall shape and structure of the container.